Maglio: Obama’s foreign policy is buffoonery

From George Washington to Ronald Reagan our foreign policy has been based on peace through strength, with a few exceptions. President Obama, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, has taken us far astray from projected strength. He should have received the prize for encouraging dictators to crush freedom. The United States is no longer respected as the leader of freedom by other nations around the world.

It started with the “Obama Apology Tour” throughout the Middle East. The cancellation of the promised nuclear missile shield to Poland and Czechoslovakia demonstrated we would not fulfill our commitments to our allies. The optimistic reset button with Russia has been an utter joke. The failure to support and inspire the Iranian masses against the ayatollahs sent a similar message to dictators and liberty loving people of the world that the U.S. no longer supports freedom. The “wink and a nod” policy of stopping Iran’s manufacturing of a nuclear weapon is another game. The Syrian “red line” speech humiliation and the unrealized promise of Syria to destroy their chemical weapons have shown our empty threats even up to this date.

Simultaneously with these actions or lack of we have cut back our military forces and removed our most courageous, outspoken officers. This dismantling of our fighting force has been noted by both our enemies and our friends.

Besides emasculating our military forces, the decision by the highest level of our government not to send troops into Benghazi to protect our people was a dagger in the hearts of all veterans. The insidious disregard of America’s combat code of never abandoning dead or wounded soldiers violates the cohesiveness binding all warriors together. This un-American act if not punished and reversed could undermine the morale of our entire armed forces.

The Benghazi murders of Ambassador Stevens and three other operatives were politically handled with an unconscionable lack of response, which could have saved lives. Although there were numerous warnings that the ambassador was a target of terrorism and kidnapping, there was no beefing up, instead there was a decrease in security. This downplaying of the threat reinforced the government’s totally untrue narrative that Libya was stable after our questionable intervention.

All this was clumsily covered up by an unrelated video farce. Furthermore, there was a forced signed statement by intelligence personnel in Benghazi who were evacuated during the terrorist attack not to talk publicly about the incident. The Obama administration has stonewalled congressional investigative committees and trampled the sacred traditions of our military.

This weakening of our military and the many events where we have not kept our word has led President Putin of Russia to disregard international law. Putin grabbed Crimea with a military take over disguised by a “vote of the people.” The pledge the U.S. made to the Ukrainian people to protect them against Russia for its willingness to disarm their nuclear weapons has not been acknowledged by Obama.

President Obama stated to Medvedev, on a supposedly turned off microphone, that he would have more flexibility after the election. President Obama’s “flexible policies” have not been a deterrent to Russia’s national expansion. President Putin’s response to President Obama is to taunt and mock him as a feckless leader.

After the United States has spent billions of dollars and has lost thousands of courageous soldier’s lives protecting the Afghanis against Taliban terrorists, President Karzai of Afghanistan disrespected the United States and in particular President Obama. He stated he would release the captured terrorists back to the battlefield and America had no business to question this decision. His audacious behavior against the nation that protected him and his countrymen demonstrates a diplomatic disaster that should have been better addressed.

The USA as the leader of the free world is now seen as an ignorant buffoon. Every present and future thug leader knows President Obama is not willing to stand up for spontaneous liberty or aggression against another nation. The present Obama policy of looking the other way has given the green light to any gangster leader to take whatever action he desires.

“Leading from behind” is an oxymoron. It is abdicating responsibility as a leader so as not to lead. It is weakness on display for other nations to take advantage. It is a dangerous policy for the U.S. Our military and intelligence agencies need to be beefed up not downsized.

Our next president has to return our foreign policy to peace through strength. We must reverse being appeasing apologists. Peace is never obtained or maintained by leading from behind. Nations, like people, respect righteousness and strength.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program in Spring Hill. Visit him at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com or email him at djmaglio@gmail.com.